When superstar Taylor Swift released the track list for her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, many fans shared a collective thought: who is Clara Bow? The final track on side D is named after the actor, who successfully walked the tightrope from silent films to “talkies” in the roaring 1920s. It was a time of excess, debauchery and flappers – and Bow was one of the most famous flappers of them all. She epitomised the era.
In the silent-film business, Bow was a sure thing. She made 45 movies in six years, fronting the hits of the day – (1926), (1927) and “ (1927) – to rave reviews. The latter film earned her the title of “It-girl” and, just like that, a new term was popularised. According to the box office, Bow was the best drawcard in the trade; her role in a film made its odds of success two-to-one. At the height of her fame, she received 45,000 fan letters a
